Shen Peichuan told her to wait in the car for him because of the rain. “I’ll go get an umbrella.”
He braved the rain and grabbed an umbrella from the trunk. With the raindrops pelting down on the umbrella, he walked to the passenger seat and opened the car door. “The rain is too heavy. I’ll carry you in if that’s okay with you.”
When Lin Xinyan stepped out of the car, Shen Peichuan hurriedly covered her with the umbrella.
She held onto Shen Peichuan’s arm and reassured, “It’s fine. I can walk. It’s only a short distance anyway.”
Shen Peichuan did not argue. After all, not everyone liked having unnecessary physical contact with the opposite sex.
Hence, they both walked, albeit very slowly, under the cover of the umbrella. When they entered the house, they found that Su Zhan and Guan Jing had already left. The dining room was also all cleaned up, with Aunt Yu currently cleaning the kitchen.
She looked over her shoulder at Shen Peichuan, who was standing just outside the door. The rain was still pouring down from the sky that even the wind held hints of moisture as it blew into the house. “I’m not in a very good mood today, so don’t take whatever I said to heart,” she said weakly.
“I know.” Shen Peichuan pursed his lips slightly. “I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn’t have doubted you.”
“Tell Su Zhan and Guan Jing not to say a word about me going out today.” When she left the villa with Shen Peichuan earlier, she did not purposefully avoid the two of them. When they came downstairs and did not see them, they definitely would have asked Aunt Yu about their whereabouts.
“I’ll give them a call later. Go on in. You’ve been out for a long time today.”
Lin Xinyan nodded and reminded him, “Drive safe. It’s dark outside and raining too.”
“I will,” Shen Peichuan answered.
Lin Xinyan went into the house after that. When Aunt Yu, who was about to take the trash out, saw Lin Xinyan standing, she put down the things in her hands and hastened her steps towards her. “Let me help you.”
Lin Xinyan held her hand and carefully made her way into the house. “Aunt Yu, don’t tell Jinghao that I went out today.”
Aunt Yu lowered her gaze and said, “Yes, ma’am.”
“Has he been sleeping this whole time? Did he vomit?” She was worried because he drank on an empty stomach.
“He’s quite alright.” Aunt Yu still did not dare to meet Lin Xinyan’s eyes.
“I remember that we have some hangover medicine at home. Bring some for me.”
Aunt Yu hesitated for a moment before replying, “Yes, ma’am.”
After pouring a glass of water, she walked over with the medicine in one hand and helped Lin Xinyan upstairs with the other. “Be careful. Watch your steps. The doctor said not to walk too much.”
“It’s okay. I know what I’m doing.” Once they were upstairs, she pushed open the door to a bedroom which was only illuminated by a bedside lamp. The light was dim, and she could smell the faint scent of alcohol. She took the water and medicine from Aunt Yu’s hand before ordering, “You can go downstairs now. I’ll handle it from here.”
Aunt Yu nodded and reminded her, “Be careful. Call for me if you need anything.”
Lin Xinyan hummed out a response and slowly made her way into the room. When Aunt Yu saw that she reached the bedside without any mishaps, she quietly closed the door and went downstairs.
Zong Jinghao was leaning on his side and concealed by the shadows. She placed the glass of water and medicine on the bedside table, then sat on the bed and reached out to turn him over. “How are you feeling?”
He was heavily built. Thus, Lin Xinyan could not turn him over on her own. She thought he was still fast asleep, so she did not disturb him anymore. All she did was sit beside the bed and watch as the raindrops beat down on the windows outside. Her lashes fluttered slightly as if she was in deep thought.
Zong Jinghao’s eyes were wide open, but he had his back to her and remained unmoving.
One was lying down, while the other one was sitting. Both were buried in their own thoughts.
Ding.
Her phone chimed with a message. She fished out her phone and swiped it to unlock it. It was a text message from Bai Yinning. She hesitated for a good few minutes before finally opening it. It was a simple message that consisted of a few words: I’m leaving. Goodbye.
It’s raining so heavily right now, and it’s well into the night too.
She sighed softly. Perhaps it’s better this way. I just want everything to go back to the way it was.
She glanced at the man on the bed and found that he was still in the same position. But what she didn’t know was that his eyes had clouded over at that moment, and not even a trace of light could pierce through the darkness looming there.
She placed her phone down, then flipped over the blanket before getting into bed. She had just put her arms around his waist intending to hug him to sleep when suddenly, her hands were caught. Before she could react, the man turned her onto her back and pressed her hands above her head, rendering her immobile. He held her legs in place with his own as he lay atop her.
His whole body reeked of alcohol. Lin Xinyan could not help but frown slightly. “Weren’t you asleep?”
He did not answer her. Instead, he stared unblinkingly at her lips. Even under the dimness of the light, the frown between his brows was distinct.
He lowered his thumb to her full and rosy lips. Then, he gently traced her lips with it. He looked at her with hooded eyes, with his thick eyelashes obscuring the gloominess in his eyes.
Lin Xinyan could not read him. “What-”
She was just about to speak when he suddenly used his fingers to pinch her lips shut, stopping whatever words she was about to say from coming out. He twisted her lips hard, causing them to contort under his fingertips.
Lin Xinyan was in so much pain that her restrained hands balled into fists. Unfortunately, she could not move an inch.
He looked to be carefully inspecting her lips as he rolled them back and forth. Lin Xinyan could only endure the pain silently.
After a while, his actions gradually gentled, but he still did not stop fondling her lips. He alternated between squeezing and caressing. It was as if he was treating her lips like some kind of exotic object.
Lin Xinyan’s lips were numb with pain, and she felt bone-tired today.
What felt like a drop of water fell onto her face, but she was not in time to see what it was before he covered her lips with his own. He switched between kissing her deeply and biting down viciously.
Pain washed over her.
It was an indescribable kind of pain.
She felt like she was abruptly dragged into an abyss. As she struggled against the darkness, all sense of reason was torn to shreds, and a searing pain spread over every inch of her skin – it was a living hell.
He released her hands, then leaned into her ear and whispered in a hoarse voice, “Where did you go? I couldn’t find you when I woke up. Do you know how scared I was?”
Lin Xinyan wrapped her arms around him. “I didn’t go anywhere. I was here all along.”
“Did I hurt you just now?” His chest seemed to rumble when he spoke, and a slight tremor could be detected in it.
Lin Xinyan turned to kiss his face. “No. Are you mad because I made you drink?”
“Mm-hmm. I wanna throw up, and my stomach is on fire. I feel like I might die.”
Her voice was gentle even as she castigated him, “Hey, don’t say such things. I brought you some hangover medicine. Do you wanna take it?”
“Feed me,” he muttered.
Lin Xinyan readily agreed to his request, because she was the one who got him drunk in the first place. She still felt guilty, and her heart ached at the same time.
“Get up first. How am I going to get the medicine if you don’t?” Lin Xinyan pushed him gently. He cooperated and lay back down on his side, allowing Lin Xinyan to get up. She reached out to grab the medicine and brought it towards his mouth.
He parted his lips, then closed them over the pill as well as her fingers. Lin Xinyan frowned and quickly pulled back her fingers. “Get up and drink some water.”
He lay still on the bed. “Feed me.”
Lin Xinyan was speechless.
How am I supposed to feed him water? It’ll spill onto the sheets.
“Use your mouth.” He blinked.
He still had not swallowed the pill in his mouth.
Lin Xinyan stared at him.
“My stomach hurts., and I can’t get up.” Half of his face was pressed into the pillow as he stared back at her with an aggrieved expression.
How could Lin Xinyan refuse him like this? Left with no choice, she drank a mouthful of water but forgot and swallowed it out of anxiety. So, she took another mouthful of water.
